6 injured after ‘unexpected movement’ forces United flight to turn back
United Airlines flight 613 was forced to return to Lagos, Nigeria, early Friday morning after experiencing an “unexpected movement” that resulted in four passengers and two flight attendants being sent to the hospital for examination.
“Our flight from Lagos, Nigeria to Washington D.C. returned to Lagos after a technical issue and an unexpected aircraft movement. It landed safely in Lagos and four passengers and two flight attendants were seen at a hospital for minor injuries and have been released. We are working with aviation authorities in the U.S. and Nigeria to understand the cause,” United said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Social media posts show food and beverages strewn about the cabin on the plane.
The flight was operated by a Boeing 787 and carried 245 passengers, eight flight attendants and three pilots.
While the investigation is ongoing, the incident is reminiscent of an episode in March when a 787 en route from Sydney to Auckland experienced “a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement” and left 50 people injured.
A preliminary report suggests the March incident was caused in part by one of the pilot’s seats being moved forward unintentionally when a flight attendant accidentally hit a switch on the seat.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 6 people injured after United flight experiences ‘unexpected movement’
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